I’ve long been a fan of Steve Conrad, ever since his Amazon show, Patriot (which I spec’d for the Fellowships back in 2017 or so). Conrad walks this incredible line between respecting and subverting the expected genre (spy thriller for Patriot, noir for Perpetual Grace, LTD, true crime for DTF St. Louis) while underpinning the whole thing with a nearly revolutionary level of tenderness and empathy. I do think he’s really brought his craft to the next level with DTF. The inner turmoil of these characters, their unique vulnerability, their kinks, shame, hopes and dreams ARE what become the twists of the show. The mysteries of the case become mysteries of their inner souls in a way that feels so much deeper than the usual whodunnit-CSI-evidence-based ratcheting up of a true-crime-esque tale (this was originally inspired by a true crime story about a dentist murder case but Conrad quickly left that all behind to go in a fully fictionalized and original direction). The build of these emotional layers led to a “surprising yet inevitable” finale that legitimately brought a tear to my eye. It was grounded, real, and tragic. Which hits all the harder piercing through a veil of well crafted mystery.
Of course, Conrad also has an inimitable writing style. Meshing Coen-like repetitions of phrases with downright surreal thoughts, impressive awkwardness to hilarious and touching effect. You can watch one scene of a Conrad show and know it’s him.
So yeah, this is just a reaction and appreciation post. He continues to operate at an insanely high level and be legitimately original, which is quite frankly a miracle in today’s industry environment. Can’t wait to see what he accomplishes next.